Two Sides Of The Same Coin

After Giyu rescued Nezuko and Takeo, with the unconscious ten year old still braced to the water hashira's back, they descended the mountain the rest of the way where they finally made it to the safety of the neighboring village the Kamado's frequented regularly. They stopped at a local mochi vendor where they ordered a cup of hot tea and some green tea mochi so that they could sit down and finally have a proper conversation. Nezuko sat down and laid her younger brother's head across her lap and stroked his hair as she allowed him to rest. Giyu sat across from her at the table with his arms crossed. "Okay. Now that we are back at the village, think you can start telling me about what you know?" He said as he grabbed ahold of his steaming drink and took a sip from his cup. Nezuko looked up at him and smiled weakly as she too took a sip of her own hot tea. "I don't even know where to begin. But I guess I should start at the beginning." She began to say and even though she was smiling, the pain was clearly visibly reflected in her eyes as she recalled the tragic memories. "As I said before, last night, my family was killed by a demon. Me and Takeo were the only survivors." She somberly said as she continued stroking her little brother's hair.

"So what you're trying to say is that you think the Demon King was the one who killed your family?" Giyu asked her as he raised a questionable brow but Nezuko shook her head in response. "Not quite. The demon that killed my family was none other than my older brother, Tanjiro." Giyu's head perked up as he leaned forward and crossed his hands and laid them across the table as he started listening even more intently than he was before. "But Tanjiro wasn't always a demon and I know that it wasn't his choice to do what he did! Just yesterday morning he left to come to this very town to sell our families coal. When he came back home that night, he had transformed into a demon. Me and Takeo were coincidentally away from the house which was how we survived." She said as she sniffled, wiping away a stray tear from her eye to try and hide the fact that she was crying. "I see. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, and about what happened to Tanjiro. But what does this have to do with the Demon King if your brother was the one that killed your family?" Nezuko looked at him with a very serious expression as her eyes gleamed with hatred and she recalled the stranger that was accompanying her brother.

"He wasn't alone. There was a strange man with him that night. Talking to him and coaxing him to leave together. We were hiding at the time, but I heard my brother refer to him as father. I have no doubt in my mind that he was the person that turned my brother into that monster! I don't know anything about this Demon King, but if he has the ability to turn regular humans into demons then the man I saw last night must be the person you were looking for." Giyu hmphed as he slouched back in rested all his weight on his arms as he leaned backwards. "From your description you've given me, I think I have to agree with you. He sounds like Muzan Kibutsuji who us Demon Slayers refer to as the Demon King. We don't have much information about the origin of demons but what we do know is that Muzan's blood, if injected into a human, will turn them into a demon as well." He said before he gave a long deep sigh. This was the information that he was indeed looking for, but from the sounds of it Muzan is already long gone. But at least now he had something to report back to headquarters.

Nezuko's eyes widened in astonishment and her body started to tremble now that her suspicions were finally confirmed. "So he really was the one who turned Tanjiro into a demon! I just knew it! Sir, if you know of a way to turn a demon back into a human then I please urge you to tell me right now! I have to save him!" She said as she started to increase her volume, causing bystanders to turn their heads at them as she started to draw attention to their conversation. Giyu looked at her with pity knowing how desperate she might have felt about this situation but he unfortunately didn't have any answers that he knew she was looking for. "As far we know, there is no cure for demonification. Not that it would matter if there was, because you've already told me he has already had a taste for human blood. Once a demon eats human flesh, their fate is already sealed. There is no going back to what they once used to be. I am sorry. Truly." He said as he bowed his head to her in respect, sympathizing with her.

Nezuko brought her hands up to her face to hide the tears that were now erupting from her eyes like waterfalls. It hurt knowing that even the Demon Slayer's didn't know of a way to turn a demon back into a human; it was like all that praying and hoping was for nothing. Everything was starting to feel hopeless. She was never going to see her precious older brother ever again from how the way things were turning out. Giyu watched as she cried and sighed again as he scratched the back of his head. "However… Just because we don't know of a cure doesn't mean that there isn't one out there. We just have yet to discover it. So don't think of giving up if you are." He said as he gave her his words of encouragement which seemed like it worked because she wiped away her tears and started smiling at him once more. "Thank you." Nezuko said as she sniffled again. "That really made me feel better. You're right, I won't give up. Until I've exhausted all options that's the only time when I will accept the truth. But to do that… I have another question for you." She said as she checked to make sure that Takeo was still soundly asleep.

"How was it that you were able to kill that demon? When Takeo attacked him with his axe, the demon healed so fast. A normal person with a wound like that would not have been able to stand back up. So what does it take for a demon to die?" She asked with general intrigue. If she wanted to find out the truth, then she would need to get stronger. Because no doubt walking on a path that was filled with demons would only lead to her downfall if she wasn't prepared. "Well for starters, a demon can only die when exposed to sunlight. They can't walk out during the day because the sun burns them. If they stay out too long during the day, they will burn until there's nothing left of them. And the second way to kill them is to cut off their heads with one of these." He said as he withdrew his sword from its scabbard and showed it to her but from the looks of it, it looked like any other regular old katana. "This is a Nichirin blade. It's made from a rare material called scarlet crimson iron which has been soaking in the sun. But only us Demon Slayer's are permitted to carry a weapon as special as this." He said matter of factly as he sheathed his sword.

After hearing this, Nezuko knew there was only one thing left for her to do if she truly wanted to pursue chasing her brother and finding him a cure. "Well then… Can anyone become a Demon Slayer? I'm asking because I want to join your organization. If it means that I will be stronger not only to be able to protect Takeo but too also save Tanjiro, then that is what I must do! I will become a Demon Slayer if that's what it takes!" She said with much determination, her mind already having been made up. Giyu hesitated before he decided to reply. He admired her willingness, but becoming a Demon Slayer would lead her on a path of death and destruction. It wasn't a lifestyle that was suited for everyone, but only for the people that were willing to lay down their lives. "With the proper training and a formal recommendation, anybody can become a Demon Slayer as long as they can survive their training and the Final Selection Process. But are you sure that this is what you want? You could very well die, or you might be forced to make a hard choice. What if you run into your brother on the battlefield? Do you think you would be prepared to kill him if you had too?" He wasn't going to lie to her and try to sugarcoat the hard reality. Being a Demon Slayer was not only about honor, but about sacrifice. He wasn't going to stop her from treading down this road if that is what she truly desired, but he wanted her to think real hard about it first before making her final decision.

Nezuko clutched the sleeves of her Haori tightly as she started thinking. Was she willing to kill Tanjiro if she had no other choice too? Her initial response would be to say no because she could never thing of harming her older brother. But she couldn't predict the future. If he ever became a true demon and salvation was no longer in his grasp and he was considered irredeemable, then maybe she was able to kill him. After all, she didn't want anyone slaying him if it wasn't her. He was her brother, and the honor of setting to him rest should lie solely to her. It would be her responsibility and nobody else's. "I understand your concerns, but my mind is made up and you can't convince me to change my opinion about this. If that scenario were to ever come true, then I will kill my brother myself. I don't want to give up on him but if I can't avoid it, then I will relinquish him as my family and do what needs to be done!" Her resolve was unwavering and Giyu knew this. He smirked as he withdrew a piece of parchment from his satchel and an ink well and brush and started writing down on the paper. "Very well then. I will help you out. I respect you Nezuko, not many people would so foolishly agree to become a Demon Slayer like you so easily did. You're either brave or just really stupid, but only time will tell."

The oldest Kamado sister looked puzzled by what he could possibly be writing as she leaned forward to try and get a peak at what he was scribbling down. "What's the parchment for?" She asked him as she continued to watch him write. "I'm sending a scroll to my old master. His name is Urokodaki. He hasn't taken on any more pupils since I trained under him but I think he will make an exception for you if I tell him about your situation. It's not every day you hear about a sibling who wants to protect their other sibling who has become a demon. I think he will be interested to see if you become successful or not just like I am. Since I am a hashira, he might value my opinion if I recommend you to become his student." He finished writing and from the sky, a crow swooped down to land on his shoulder. He placed the scroll in the crows mouth and told it to send it to Master Urokodaki who lives on Mount Sagiri. Almost as if the bird understood what he was saying, it took off and started flying in the direction of its destination. Nezuko watched in bewilderment on how a bird could be so smart, but she thought best to not try and question it any further.

She turned her attention back to Giyu as she grinned and her eyes sparkled like the morning sun. "Thank you so much Giyu! We are so fortunate to have met you, truly. You have our eternal gratitude." Giyu blushed slightly as he looked away and a small smile creeped on his normally emotionless face. It felt good to be appreciated so openly like this; he normally ever got the short end of the stick from his other fellow hashira who criticized him and his personality. "Don't go thanking me just yet. Like I said, becoming a Demon Slayer will not be easy. You could die before you even officially join the corp. But you're welcome nonetheless… I wish you and your younger brother nothing but the best." He said as he stood up to take his leave so that he could go back to headquarters, but Takeo started to stir in Nezuko's lap as he yawned. He actually hadn't been sleeping and was just pretending for the majority of their conversation so he had heard everything. "Takeo! How long have you been awake?" She asked, knowing that if he had been listening, he would want to follow in her footsteps. He had his own agenda that was not like hers. While she wanted to save Tanjiro, Takeo's heart was wrapped in hatred and the only thing he could think about was getting revenge.

"For a while. Big sister… Let me join you in training. I want to become a Demon Slayer too!" He said loudly as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. But after he finished, he turned around and stared hard at Giyu. "Is it possible for me to train alongside my sister? I want to become stronger as well! It's not just her having to protect me! I have to be able to protect her too! Like you said big sister, we only have each other now. If you became a Demon Slayer you could end up getting killed! So let me be able to watch your back!" Nezuko opened her mouth ready to scold him, but Giyu beat her to the punch as he started talking first. "That's not for me to answer. I'm not your guardian little one. If it were up to me, I'd tell you to go ahead but the final decision is up to Nezuko." He said as his eyes glanced over to Nezuko who stiffened up when she saw her brother give her adorable puppy dog eyes that he knew she always found impossible to resist. But it wasn't like he was asking for something simple like sneaking him candy before bed, this time, she couldn't give him what he wanted. "Not right now Takeo. You're still just a child. Maybe when you're a little bit older and you're my age. I'm not telling you no, I'm just telling you to be patient." But Takeo only puffed his cheeks as he crossed his arms. "Are you saying you don't think I can do it?!"

Takeo flinched when he felt Giyu affectionately rub the top of his head. "I don't think that's what she means. On the contrary, I think you would make an excellent swordsman. Just not right now, maybe when you're big enough to pick up a sword." Said Giyu as he smiled at Takeo who stared up at him with sparkles of admiration in his eyes. "O-okay mister! You heard him right? I can start training when I can pick up a sword?" Nezuko sighed as she finally gave in. "That sounds fair to me. Before you leave Giyu, what should me and my brother do now? How will I know if your master has accepted your request?" The water hashira smirked, "You won't. Even if he says no, show up at his front doorstep and beg him to train you. You'll find him at Mount Sagiri. He's an older man who wears a tengu mask and a blue and white cloud Haori. You can't miss him. Now, it's time for me to depart. I hope our paths cross again, and that the next time we meet we will be comrades in arms. You both stay safe and survive." And with that, he turned around and started walking away all the while Nezuko and Takeo waved bye to him. "Okay. I guess we know where our next stop is. It's just you and me from now on. Are you ready to go?" She said as she stood up and grabbed ahold of Takeo's hand. He nodded his head eagerly in response. "Let's get going big sister!"

A year has passed since Tanjiro became a demon and went on to live with Muzan Kibutsuji and started his training with Akaza and Kokushibo. Currently, they were training near a lake that was next to a magnificent waterfall. Akaza sat atop the falls as he looked down below to watch the sparring match between the number one Upper Moon and the Demon Prince. "You're being too slow Tanjiro. I'm going easy on you, but if I were a Demon Slayer I would have already sliced through the thread of opportunity five times by now." Said Kokushibo as he aggressively slung the blood off of his blade. In front of him Tanjiro was knelt tiredly on the ground breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. His right arm that was holding his katana had been severed clean off, but it regenerated in an instant. "We've been going at it since the sun set. Can't we just take a little break? I think I might actually collapse from exhaustion if we keep going like this." Kokushibo sighed as he sheathed his sword and Akaza jumped down from the waterfall to join them.

"I suppose we can stop for now. Despite how the match ended, you've been improving." Said Kokushibo as he placed his arms in the holes of his sleeves. Tanjiro stood up as he scowled and stared down at the ground. "But I could be so much better… Why am I still so weak?!" He yelled out in frustration as he clenched his fists, his sharp claws digging into the palms of his hands causing them to bleed. "You're not weak my prince. You forget that I am the second strongest demon after Lord Muzan, so of course you won't be able to beat me so easily. Compared to most other demons, you are well above their level. Since the first time we met I can tell that your powers have grown considerably. You are definitely more powerful than most of the lower ranking Moons now." Kokushibo said to try and comfort the young distraught demon. Tanjiro opened his mouth to interject but decided against it. He knew his uncle was right, but that didn't make him feel any better. Ever since his father brought him home a year ago, he was told about all the duties he was asked to fulfill as the Demon King's successor. But yet he still hasn't been trusted to do anything yet. His father hasn't sent him on any missions yet, let alone he still hasn't started his search for the Blue Spider Lily.

"I'm sorry uncle. I should stop whining. I'm just frustrated is all. I wish I could do more but I still don't have father's full trust in me. You and Uncle Akaza have trained me and watched over me nonstop after all this time, and still nothing has changed. I'm becoming impatient to prove that I am worthy of being my father's son!" Kokushibo walked over to him and placed a firm hand atop Tanjiro's shoulder. "Now that's enough of that. I've known Lord Muzan for five hundred years. And I can tell you honestly that there is no one he adores more than you. The only reason he has been holding you back is because he's worried that the Demon Slayer corp. will harm you. If that were to happen, well, I'm sure a war would break out instantly. You're still very young Tanjiro, and progress doesn't happen overnight. You just need to be patient." Akaza walked over and grabbed Tanjiro around the neck, forcing him into a head lock as he started giving the young demon a painful nuggie. "Number one is right as always! Stop being so glum chum! Geez, for a demon you sure do cry and whine a lot don't you. It's almost like you're a human." Akaza said teasingly.

Tanjiro whimpered as his uncle continued to drill into his temples. When he stopped, he started pounding on his chest with tears in his eyes but Akaza only laughed at the pitiful display. At first, he didn't care for Tanjiro at all. In fact, he loathed him for how he so easily won over his Lord's favor. He couldn't deny his master's request when he was asked to teach the young demon, in fact, he hated that he was the one who had to babysit him all the time. He thought Tanjiro was a pitiful excuse for a demon by how he always let his emotions take control of him and how soft his heart was, but the longer he knew him and got to know him, the more he appreciated and grew to be fond of those little quirks of his. Demon's didn't understand the concept of family and comradery, but with Tanjiro in his life now, he didn't feel so alone all the time. Even though they were a fake family, the Demon Prince brought joy to their bleak lives that once seemed to only be shrouded in darkness. "Uncle Akaza! You know I hate when you do that! Why must you always tease me so?" Tanjiro said as he rubbed his temples to get the pain to go away. "I'll stop teasing you when you stop acting so damn cute. You're just like a little human child. I just can't help but want to make fun of you." Akaza said as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Suddenly, Kokushibo glanced up at the sky as he saw the first rays of sunshine start to peak through the trees, indicating that morning was approaching. "We will call training over for today. The sun is rising and we must sink back into the shadows unless we want to turn into dust." He said as he turned to retreat into the cave behind the waterfall that they had been calling home for a short amount of time now. Tanjiro placed a hand over his eyes as he saw the sun, and instinctively he reached his hand up to feel the morning rays coat his pale cold hand. Muzan's hypothesis of him being a demon that could conquer the sun turned out to be true. Although since he still had yet to unlock his Demon Slaying mark, his resistance to the sun was only temporary. He could last in the daylight for maybe about three hours at a time before he had to retreat into the darkness. Akaza turned to follow Kokushibo but stopped to check on Tanjiro who was still playing around with the ray of light. "Are you coming your highness? It's time for bed. Or do I need to go over there and carry you in myself?" He said as he started tapping his foot impatiently. Tanjiro snapped back to reality as he hurried over to follow his uncles. Once they were inside the cave, they all took their respective sleeping places and laid down, but Tanjiro wasn't even tired in the slightest.

He was excited for something, something that the other two weren't even aware about. "Goodnight uncles. I will see you again when the moon rises." The other two grumbled in response and said a quick goodnight before they fell fast asleep. Tanjiro closed his eyes for a rest and slept for a couple of hours himself. After sleeping for about five hours, he awoke and looked back at his uncles to make sure that they were still soundly sleeping. He smiled to himself and stood up from his futon and then proceeded to tiptoe out the cave as quietly as possible. He looked back to make sure that he was in the clear before he exited and stepped out into the sunlight. Once the light was casted over his body, his form started to change shape. He had inherited the power of transformation from his father and could change his appearance at will, but he was limited on what he could turn into. His hair began to become shorter and his skin began to get color and looked more lively. In an instant, he had reverted into a human form that was easily deceivable to the human eye so that they wouldn't be able to detect his true nature. And although he looked like himself from before he turned into a demon, the one thing that couldn't change was the color of his eyes, but they did seem softer and less demonic. "After all that training I think I deserve to go out and have a little fun." He said with a playful smirk before he quickly jumped away to enter the nearby human town.

At the edge of the village were two children who were playing together as they hand washed their clothes in the river. "Hey! Hana! Look at that fish!" Said the boy to his twin sister as he pointed at a carp that could be clearly seen through the crystal clear water. Hana leaned forward to investigate the fish further, but the boy grinned as he splashed the cold water all over her causing her to shriek as she tried to stroke the wetness out of her hair. "Koga that's not funny!" She said angrily as her brother laughed immaturely causing her to smirk back mischievously. "Well, if that's how you want to play… then take this! HAH!" She said as she splashed the water back and the two started having a small game of water fight. While the two were distracted, they failed to notice the sounds of the bushes rustling behind them as a mysterious figure stepped out from the bushes and started approaching them. The person reached out and grabbed them by the shoulders, causing the both of them to let out a blood curdling scream. "AAAAHH!" They yelled as they clung to each other tightly until they looked to see who their assailant was.

Tanjiro stood behind them with his hands now drawn back and a look of utter shock showing on his face with a bead of sweat dripping down from his forehead. "Woah there you two! Calm down! It's just me!" He said as he chuckled and then burst into laughter when the two small children tackled him into a hug, causing them to fall backwards. "Tanjiro! We're so happy to see you! We haven't seen you in three days, we thought you'd finally left town!" Said Koga as he smiled brightly from ear to ear. "Yeah, sorry about that you two. But my uncles were training me in swordsmanship and they weren't going to let me off easy. They've been watching me like a hawk and I finally got a chance to slip away." The twins scooted off of him and the three were now sitting in a circle with Hana playing with her fingers. "Sooo, did you bring the goods?" She asked in a sugary sweet tone. Tanjiro smirked as he tried to play dumb. "What goods? Oh! Do you mean… this?!" He said as he pulled out a bag of hard candy from his satchel that he had purchased from a vendor before coming to meet up with them. The twins shrieked in delight as they took the bag of candy from him and each popped a piece into their mouths.

He leaned forward and placed his head on his hand and watched happily as the children indulged themselves on the sugary confection. He didn't know why he made this a regular routine, but he always had a soft spot for human kids. It was like he had a paternal instinct for them and wanted to protect them and watch them thrive. He knew his family would disapprove that he was out playing human, so that's why he tried his hardest to keep this a secret from them. It's not like he loved humans or anything, he just loved the idea of innocence. He wasn't against killing but he was only okay with killing people he deemed didn't deserve to live anymore due to their terrible actions. As long as you were kind and a good person, then he always wished that person nothing but the best. Human and demon alike. "You really are the best Tanjiro! You're always so nice to us even when you don't need to be. It's like you're some kind of angel." Hana said in bliss as she sucked on the sweet ball. Tanjiro chuckled nervously as he scratched his cheek. If only she knew how ironic those words were. "I'm not an angel, I'm just a guy who likes to put smiles on peoples faces. There's no need to thank me. You two just enjoy that." The twins nodded eagerly as they continued eating the candy until their stomachs started to hurt.

They continued talking and playing together for a little while longer until Tanjiro caught the strong smell of alcohol. He turned his head behind him and from the village was walking a heavily intoxicated man who could barely even stand straight with a bottle of wine in his hand. "Hey! There you are you annoying little rats! I've been looking for you everywhere!" He said as he got closer and Tanjiro immediately had an instant dislike for him. He stood up and then also caught a strong smell of fear coming from the twins as they hid behind him and started shaking. The drunk man was now face to face with Tanjiro and glanced behind him when he saw Hana's face peak out from behind his leg. "Grr… Come here, stupid girl." He reached his hand out and grabbed Hana by her hair and yanked her forward causing her to cry as she fell to her knees, scraping them up pretty badly. "I told you to finish that laundry ages ago! But I see you guys have been goofing around and now I'm starving!" He let her hair go as she sniffled trying to wipe the blood that was dripping from her knees with the hem of her kimono. "I'll give you guys one more chance to make things right. While your brother finishes up the laundry, you head home and start making lunch. But if lunch isn't finished by the time I'm done with this bottle then I'm going to have no choice but to discipline you. Do I make myself clear?" He said as he took a long swig from the wine.

"Yes father… right away father." She hastily stood up and started running back to the village, too afraid to look back because if she did, she feared that he would think she was trying to defy him and might hit her again. The drunk hiccupped as he wobbled once more but caught his footing, and noticed how Tanjiro was glaring daggers at him. "What the hell you looking at freak?! You got a problem with me? I see how you've been hanging out around my kids like you're some kind of god damn saint." Tanjiro did his best to contain his bloodlust. He wanted so badly to rip this man's heart out but he couldn't do that in broad daylight, let alone in front of Koga who was still cowering behind him. "Ohh, cat got your tongue? I knew you were just some spineless bastard. You're so scared you can't even think of a comeback can you? But I'm going to give you a warning. If I see you around my children one more time, I'll kill you. You got that, punk?" He said as he spit at Tanjiro's feet, but still, the demon did not waver. "Yeah. I hear you loud and clear." The twin's father smirked as he turned around and started walking back to the village, no doubt to torment Hana more.

Koga went back to the river and started scrubbing the laundry as fast as he could. "I hate him… He's always picking on my sister just because she's a girl. He's mean to both of us, but he's especially cruel to her. He blames us for our mother dying because she died giving birth to us. But if I had it my way, I wish somebody would just kill him. Maybe then me and my sister would finally be free from the hell he makes us live in." Koga said as he started crying, but not because he was sad, but because of all the rage and hate that was seeping out through every pore in his body. "Those are some very strong words Koga. Do you really mean it when you say that? That you want your father to die?" Tanjiro asked as he raised his eyebrow. Koga looked back at Tanjiro and he instantly recognized the blazing fury that was in the child's eyes. "Yeah. I really, really mean it." Tanjiro smiled softly to himself. He was planning on killing that man anyways, but now he could do it with a guilty free conscious knowing that the twins would be alright with his absence. "Who knows, if you pray hard enough maybe the gods will grant your wish. I'm sorry that you have to go through that. You kids don't deserve to have a dad like that. A father should be loving and care about his children, but it seems like yours is just some deadbeat. But what goes around comes around. I guarantee his karma is just waiting to come and bite him."

Tanjiro left Koga to his own devices and headed back into the village. He bided his time until the sun set and waited for an opportunity where he could catch the drunkard alone. While he waited, he sat on the rooftops of one of the settlements, having been monitoring the mans movements all night. Then his opportunity finally came around when he noticed the man came out from a bar and started stumbling down an alleyway between two houses. "You're about to get what's coming to you. I'll make you regret ever putting your filthy hands on those kids. You disgusting, human garbage." Tanjiro said with a dark tone in his voice as he hopped down from the roof to follow the drunk. "Man, I really got to piss!" He said as he leaned against the wall to unzip his pants and let the golden stream flow, until he felt a cold, terrifying presence looming behind him. He gulped and slowly turned around but started laughing when all he saw was Tanjiro. "Oh, it's just you! What? Did you come back for revenge or something? But you're barking up the wrong tree buddy, cause I'm going to beat you into a pulp!" He said as he went to throw a punch at the young demon, who easily caught his hand and crushed the bones, causing him to yell out in agony.

"Wh-what the hell man?! What's wrong with you?!" He said as he fell to his knees, gripping at his wrist trying to pull his arm away, but Tanjiro refused to let go. In the darkness, Tanjiro's pinkish red eyes burned brightly and he slowly started reverting back to his true demonic form as the twin's father watched in horror. "What's wrong? I thought you said you were going to kill me. Where did all your gusto go to?" Tanjiro said as he grinned, revealing his sharp fangs which made the mans eyes widen in complete terror. "You're a demon! Oh god! Someone help me! Please!" The young demon chuckled in delight as he listened to the man's pleads for a savior. "No one's coming for you. I set up a barrier around us, so it's just you and me." He leaned down and started to twist the man's arm brutally snapping the bones as he leaned forward to whisper into his ear. "If you had just been a good father, I would have let you live. But you just had to choose to be evil. That's what I hate about you humans. You guys have free will and yet some of you choose to just do the wrong thing. How could you even think about hurting your kids? Do you think your wife would agree with how you've been treating her children? I bet she hates you and condemns you to hell for everything that you've done." Tanjiro said in a sinister hiss.

The man couldn't even say anything as he looked into the demon's blood lustful gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but his once bold and loud voice was now meek like a rabbits. "Y-you're right. I'm a terrible person. But I promise to be better! I'll be a good father! I'll love on my kids! Just let me go, I'm begging you!" Tanjiro tilted his head back and started laughing until he looked back down with his face now blank and his eyes wide, his eyes glowing with murderous rage. "You should have thought about that before you made your mistake. I'm going to enjoy killing you." He then yanked off the man's arm and started beating him senselessly with his own appendage laughing all the while as he did so. With the man barely conscious and slowly bleeding to death, Tanjiro started eating his arm right in front of him and kicked him in the side to see if he was still alive or not. "Looks like it's almost lights out for you. You know, I was already going to kill you but your own son made up my mind when he said how much he wanted you dead. Since I'm such a saint, I thought I'd help him out."

Tanjiro finished eating the man's arm and discarded the bones before he knelt down and placed his hands on both sides of the drunkards head and forced him to look at him. "I want my face to be the last thing you see before you go to the underworld." He said with a fake, sympathetic smile before he twisted his head all the way around and snapped it off of his body, killing him. Tanjiro placed his head to the side as he started eating hungrily, tearing at his flesh and flinging his blood and body parts in all directions. Once he was done eating, he was now coated from head to toe with the man's blood. He picked up the head and a hand as he dropped the barrier and followed the scent of the twin's to find their home. Once he was on their door step, he walked over and placed the hand in front of the door as a memento and as a way to tell the twin's that their suffering was now over. As he turned to leave, he saw Koga looking through the window, watching him with wide eyes. Tanjiro smiled at him and placed a finger to his lips. "Your prayers have been answered." Koga continued to look at him but felt no fear. He smiled back and waved at him before Tanjiro leaped away to rejoin his uncles back at the cave.

Kokushibo and Akaza were now awake and waited patiently for Tanjiro to return. This was the first time that their nephew had ever acted out like this. He was normally so well behaved, at least to their understanding and they've never woken up to him not being there. "Ugh, where the hell did that brat go?! How long do you think he's been gone? If anything bad happens to him then Lord Muzan will kill us for sure." Akaza exclaimed as he paced back and forth. Kokushibo sat crisscross style with his hands in his sleeves, not worrying one bit. "He is fine so stop worrying so much. I'm sure he will be back any minute now. When he get's back, we'll ask him what he's been up too." Kokushibo said to calm down his fellow Upper Moon. They both then detected the smell of human blood as their heads swiveled to the entrance of the cave where Tanjiro finally returned looking rather unhinged and held the head of the man he had just killed in his hand. "Sorry uncles. I snuck out for a little fun and I met a very bad man." He said as he tossed the head to the floor which rolled across the ground and stopped by their feet.

"I saw him hurting his kids, and I couldn't just not do something. People like him are just begging for justice, so I delivered it." Tanjiro said with that forced smile still spread across his face, he wasn't in his right mind because now he was high off of the blood. Kokushibo smirked as he walked over and patted his prince on the shoulder. "You're a weird one you know that? But as long as you're okay then that's all that matters. Right Akaza?" He said as he turned his head to his partner who had fallen silent. Akaza stared shocked at the bloodied, maniacal version of his normally cute and innocent nephew. How could he forget that Tanjiro was a demon just like him? He was always teasing the young demon because of how human he was, but now he wasn't so sure about that anymore. He adored Tanjiro because of his small human quirks, but staring at him now, he felt fear. The presence he was giving off reminded him so much of his beloved Lord Muzan. Tanjiro had two sides to himself. The innocent one that made even a group of demons feel like a family because of how kind he was, and the other half which was laced with the scent of death. In that moment, Akaza felt immense pride but he was also terrified. Tanjiro truly was the son of Muzan Kibutsuji.